While I was slaving away at work yesterday, I was informed via my cell phone and via Twitter that NC State got an invite to the NCAA for a 4th straight year. I don't know about you but as a life-long "Wolfpacker" and loyal fan of the red and white, this was exciting because of the years of struggle that NC State basketball gone through for almost my entire life thus far. State got an 8 seed in the East Region with Villanova being the 1 seed out of the region. Besides NC State and Villanova, teams in this bracket include Virginia, Louisville, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Northern Iowa, and NC State's first opponent LSU. With a lot of these teams proving all year they are worthy of being in the Tournament, this is indeed a tough draw for my beloved Wolfpack. That being said, NC State has a good chance to make a run in the tournament. With the speed and athleticism they possess, they need to put out consistent effort and utilize that speed, athleticism, and combine that with the tough defense they have (for the most part) played this year. Go Pack!!!
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After a come from behind win in the 2nd round against LSU, the Wolfpack moved on to face the No.1 seed in the East bracket Villanova. 'Nova played in the Big East Conference and managed to win over 30 games this year. I was at work whenever this game started but managed to mingle on over to a bar nearby to catch some of the 2nd half action. What I observed from the 10 minutes that I was able to watch was that Villanova could not buy a shot and NC State was able to exploit the 4 guard lineup the Wildcats put on the floor. For NC State, Abdul-Malik Abu had a big game posting 13 points and 12 rebounds along with Lennard Freeman and Trevor Lacey posting 11 and 17 points respectively. I had a feeling my Wolfpack would come out ready to play and put up a good fight against a no. 1 seed because of the tough ACC regular season conference schedule they play. To simplify this post, the Wolfpack continues to dance on to the Sweet 16!
So yesterday NC State traveled to Boston College to take on the Eagles and left with a 79-63 defeat. Despite solid performances by forward Kyle Washington and shooting guard Ralston Turner (14 and 13 points respectively), shooting 33% as a team will not win you many games. Especially whenever the opponent (Boston College) shoots 57% for the game and separates themselves for practically the whole game. It is a bit of a surprise that NC State lost considering they were riding a 3-game winning streak coming into the game Saturday with a crucial road win at #9 Louisville, home versus Virginia Tech, and at #15 North Carolina. For many Wolfpack fans, this Wolfpack team is a headache to watch including myself. What I have noticed though is that this team has good, young talent, has good chemistry, but just simply does not know how to be consistent in the buckle-down Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). I still believe this team can make the NCAA Tournament for a 4th consecutive year but they must finish the regular season strong and be able to get at least 1 win in the ACC Tournament in order to get into the "Big Dance".
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Adron HollowellI am a senior Public History major at Appalachian State University and I love my North Carolina State Wolfpack! ArchivesCategories |